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Video Summary
How do you improve the elements of your content to make sure you maximize the effectiveness and attract visitors and convert them into leads and subscribers?
In this video I will give you 5 questions, or factors to consider, so you can audit your own site to make sure your content is doing its job. And that is to attract visitors, so you have the opportunity to start, or build, relationships that eventually grow into clients or customers.
Video Transcript
Do you want to get more traffic to your website?
In a previous video, I talked about different types of content to create value for your audience and how you can use this content to attract visitors and convert them into leads and subscribers. Now, the question is, how do you improve the elements of your content to make sure you maximize the effectiveness?
In this video I will give you 5 questions, or factors to consider, so you can audit your own site to make sure your content is doing its job. And what is the job of your content? Your content must attract visitors, so you have the opportunity to start, or build, relationships that eventually grow into clients or customers.
So, let’s get started…
Headline
Question number one… “Is your headline catchy but not misleading?”
A good headline should capture the attention of your prospects and get them to decide to read your content.
According to Google, the headline of your content, which, in the context of websites, is often called the page title, is a primary piece of information that visitors use to decide whether they will continue reading through your content or hit the back button. Therefore, the more appealing your headline is, the more visitors are attracted to your website content.
What should you include in your headline? Well, make sure your headline matches the overall theme of your content while also containing significant keywords that searchers may use.
Another way to look at this is… What problem does your content solve? When someone has that problem, what are they going to search for? Those are the keywords you should use within your content and within your headline to connect your content with the searcher.
Another tip to making your headline catchy is to include other elements that grab attention such as numbers, powerful adjectives, and a good verb or call-to-action. These things make the headline more interesting and note-worthy for your readers.
As I mentioned, the words “headline” and “title” are often interchanged in the online world. But I like to make a distinction because there is another significant title on every web page. This is the title tag which is invisible on the website itself, but is often used as the link in the search results.
The title tag and headline might contain the same words, but they don’t have to. Therefore, if I were to simply refer to the title of a page, you would not instantly know if I was referring to the headline or the title tag. I bring this up because both title tags and headlines may have character constraints, but those constraints are different.
A title tag, which represents a page in the search results, should generally be around 60 characters or so. But the headline on your web page itself can be more or less, whatever you need.
The only real size constraint on the headline, besides being long enough to convey the proper message, is to be short enough that it looks good on the page.
Okay, that’s enough about that.
Content
So, on to question number two… “Is your content desirable and specific?”
Is your content something your target audience is interested in, and is it delivered in a compelling way? This goes back to the idea that your content solves a problem. So, you must provide content that your prospects are looking for, content they want to find to solve their particular problem.
Not sure what words your target audience is using when they go to do a search? In that case, it’s time you pretend you’re a member of your target audience. If you needed whatever it is that you offer, what would you search for? Go to Google and do that search. See what comes up.
Do the search results match what you think should come up? If so, then this search was probably pretty good. But if you see things in the search results that are not what you intended, then you probably chose words that are not the best fit for your audience.
Now, scroll to the bottom of the search results page. You’ll see a section called “Related searches”. How do these look? If someone was searching for one of these phrases, would you want your site to appear in the search results?
Well, then great! Now what specific content can you include on a page that addresses the issues of someone searching for this specific topic? Create a page for this. Keep in mind that the more specific your content is, the easier it is to understand. And the faster a searcher understands what you’re offering when they search, the more likely they are to click the link that goes to your site.
Another way to get content ideas is to use the Google keyword tool. This way you can see the actual number of people searching for specific phrases in your geographic area, or wherever you choose.
You can start by using a few keywords that you want to rank for, like your products and your services. Enter these into the keyword tool. Not only will you see how many searches are done for these particular phrases, but Google will also provide numbers for related phrases as well.
I have a more in-depth video explaining how to use the Google tool. It’s called “How Many People Are Searching For Your Business”.
Value
The third question to consider… “Is your content easy to consume, delivering value instantly?”
If you want your site visitors to be happy they found your site, then your content must solve their problem. Or, if a complete solution is unreasonable, it must move them toward a solution. Maybe it provides a step in the right direction or gives them some information they need but did not know before.
Whatever it is, the solution must be easy to consume. And by “easy to consume,” I mean, no one wants to read a 100-page-long PDF from some random website they never heard of before.
100 pages of information is not easy. That takes commitment. Your relationship is too new for commitment. At this point your prospects are simply looking for a taste of what you have to offer.
So, it’s best to make sure your content can be digested in 15 minutes or less, including any necessary images, videos, charts, or other types of media to provide value in your content.
Consistency
Then, we get to question number four… “Is your content consistent with what your business or website offers?”
You don’t want to confuse your audience! If they did a search, found your site, liked your content, and then discovered your business is about something else, how does that help build a long-term relationship?
Imagine you have a painting business. As such you work at houses where dogs are present. And you really like well-disciplined dogs. So, you publish a blog post about dog training, and you give some excellent tips.
If someone does a search and finds your blog post and they’re happy with the content and the ease of consumption, and then you offer to put them on your painting email list, there is a serious disconnect!
If you had a dog training business, the entire process would work, but not as a painter. With a painting business you want to attract an audience who wants painting. You need consistency in your content and in what you offer. When your content is a good match, you strengthen your site’s credibility which allows you to connect the dots for your prospects.
What Is Next?
And, finally, question five, the last question for today… “Does your content tell the reader what to do next?”
If your searching prospects made it to your site, stayed because of a good headline, discovered that your information is desirable, and they could get the answer they need easily, then you have won the right to tell them what to do next.
This is now your opportunity to give your readers a clear call-to-action. Make it relevant, moving the prospect one step closer to doing business with you.
Maybe you’re getting their contact information so you can follow up. Ah, wouldn’t that be nice to get them on your email list!? Or maybe you want them to purchase something small that will help them with the original problem on their mind. No matter what, make the action step logical and easy.
And that’s it! If you answered yes to all five questions, then your site is ready to welcome prospects from your target audience! If you did not answer yes to each question, then you have a little more work to do. But that’s okay. Now you know what to focus on.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there. And, if you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to my channel. I would really appreciate that.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
